Perhaps the most deceptive part of the reality we live in is the idea that the money and greed obsessed world and the way that it functions and has taken over everything around us is and has only ever been the only available choice.

To be fair to many, the intoxicating way in which a world that perpetrates self-interest at every turn works, leaves the option to see the mechanics of the deceptive lie and the myths upon which our whole way of being sits, very difficult to see, and even harder to believe for those who genuinely can.

In fact, the level of self-awareness that it takes not only to understand but also accept the role that each and every one of us is guilty of playing in this very unfair and imbalanced form of life is indeed the antithesis of everything this whole system has been constructed to be and how it governs and influences every part of our lives.

However, just because we cannot see the alternative, doesn’t mean that it isn’t there.

It doesn’t mean that the alternative to all this isn’t available to us right now.

It doesn’t mean that the alternative to this world hasn’t been a genuine option for us, all the way along.

We are surrounded by illusions that only become real for us based on what we believe them to be.

Some, in fact many of these illusions are ridiculously convincing to the point where there seems to be little value in questioning them and our immediate response is automatically to believe.

Perhaps the most destructive of these on the level of our reality, is the concept, suggestion and the accompanying belief that the way the world works and can only work is with a hierarchical structure that you might otherwise know as ‘Top-Down’.

We live a life that tells us that someone always has to be at  the top or at a higher level. That for anyone to win, someone else will always have to lose.

By doing this, we completely miss the point that by accepting and by playing an active part in this system and way of thinking at any level or in any wat, we have instantaneously bought into the myth that a world that values everything based on money, greed and that values that we attribute to every form of material wealth is normal and right.

In fact, this whole way of being, thinking and doing is representative of a world that is completely upside down.

What we fail to realise and understand, is that in an upside down world where all things money and material have become the benchmarks upon  which we qualify each and every aspect of life, it simply doesn’t matter what your tribe, your group or your politics are, because we are all operating upside down.

In this upside-down world, where we unconsciously perceive benefits from the differences that we believe to exist materially between us, every value we have is completely upside down or belly up. So the failure of one is the failure of all and failure for any one of us is exactly the same thing.

Selfishness and self-interest are borne of exactly the same value set, whether they are politically left, politically right or sat in the so-called political centre ground that sits in between.

It is only the forms in which that selfishness and self-interest is manifested, interpreted and perceived that is different, whilst the outcome for individuals, communities and the country alike, are exactly the same things.

This is a world where nobody wins – not even the elites who think they control everything. Because when any part of a world that operates on a values system that is upside down continues to exist, it is inevitable that it will always pull everything and everyone back to earth in a journey that will always end with a crash or a bang.

Few may see it or even understand what it would mean for us all, but the alternative to this destructive and inhuman money and wealth-obsessed world exists and has always existed hidden in plain sight from us today.

The difference between the two worlds is surprisingly simple, but on its own would be perhaps the most challenging voluntary choice to make.

The choice for us is literally to reject the money and material wealth-based order, and to live a people-centric and values-based lifestyle in its place.

The change to a people-first order, isn’t about the rejection of money itself or even the latest forms of technology and advancements that we have; everything in a balanced and fair world still has its place.

The choice is about refocusing, returning and reforming our basic values set, so that we place value on only the ways of being and the experiences that should be valued, instead of placing value only on external ‘things’.

Success and results are always related to the use of formulas, whether it be in the form of an algorithm or what we learn through our experiences in life.

Creating and maintaining a people-centric and values-based world is no different, and the Basic Living Standard is the formula that once adopted universally will lead to a fair, balanced and values-centric life.

The Basic Living Standard can be defined as:

Adults, working a full working week in any job at any level, must be able to feed, house, clothe and provide adequately for their own transport needs, whilst providing basic necessities such as communication themselves, without the need for credit, loans, benefits or third-party support of any kind.